A fiber having large effective area reduces non-linear optical effects which can cause degradation of signals in high power systems. In general, a mathematical description of these non-linear effects includes the ratio, P/Aeff, where P is optical power. Thus, an increase in Aeff produces a decrease in the non-linear contribution to the degradation of a light signal.
The requirement in the telecommunication industry for greater information capacity over long distances without electronic signal regeneration has led to a re-evaluation of single mode fiber index profile design.
The definition of high power and long distance is meaningful only in the context of a particular telecommunication system wherein a bit rate, a bit error rate, a multiplexing scheme, and perhaps optical amplifiers are specified. There are additional factors, known to those skilled in the art, which have an impact upon the meaning of high power and long distance. However, for most purposes, high power is an optical power greater than about 10 mW. In some applications, even signal power levels of 1 mW or less are sensitive to non-linear effects, so that Aeff is still an important consideration in such lower power systems.
Therefore, it would be desirable to develop alternative single mode fibers that are suitable for use in undersea applications.